So, do you walk?

Philip was outside with Anastasia today when she spotted some kids picking up pecans. It was a family with 5 children. She darted over and instantly was one of them. While they were busy with their activity, one of the children asked Philip, "So, do you walk?"

Philip didn't tell me what he responded, but I imagine it was some form of what he tells most kids when the question is asked, "God made me this way." This answer usually doesn't satisfy the child, but hopefully it will communicate the truth that God controls his creation.

FoodMatters

Last weekend, my husband and I watched the documentary, FoodMatters. Whoa. What an education! Here is a excerpt about the film:

With nutritionally-depleted foods, chemical additives and our tendency to rely upon pharmaceutical drugs to treat what's wrong with our malnourished bodies, it's no wonder that modern society is getting sicker. Food Matters sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide 'sickness industry' and gives people some scientifically verifiable solutions for overcoming illness naturally.

I appreciated that the panelists were not angry at the medical community and even complimented it on the developments for acute conditions, illnesses, and circumstances. Personally, I am very indebted to the medical community in the way of child birth! However, we can help ourselves far more than we do in the way of chronic health issues.

Now, Philip and I take a powerful, patented nutritional supplement called Reliv, which has done wonders for us. Which convinced me that these people have to be right. FoodMatters was encouraging to make some additional changes as well. Here are the changes that I/we are trying to implement:

1. Drink 1 liter of water first thing in the morning. When you get up in the morning, before you have coffee, tea, breakfast, anything else - drink 1 L of water. It really gets things moving, if you know what I mean.

2. Eat 51% raw. Cooking food actually changes the chemical composition and our system reads it as a foreign body it needs to fight off! Our bodies think we are sick and it initiates the immune system.

And you can actually watch FoodMatters for FREE Oct 2-8! Follow the link to register and you can also watch the first chapter of the film. The FoodMatters site said that the film was controversial...I will stand by my recommendation, though.

Let me know your thoughts if you have watched it!!

Cowbells at the Memphis game

My beloved Mississippi State Bulldogs face the Memphis Tigers tonight. I'll be watching from the comfort of a friend's home. Philip lovingly volunteered to stay home with Anastasia so I could concentrate on the game - what a great husband, hey?

As I was purusing the internet for something worth reading about the game tonight, I came across For Whom the Cowbell Tolls . They had a Q/A answered by MemphisRoar.com. This particular question and answer that made me laugh:

Q8: Do you anticipate State fans being thoroughly searched this coming Thursday to prevent Cowbells from making it into the stadium?

Noise makers are banned from the stadium, so the plan is to have Ole Miss fans standing at the gate to "probe" all state fans suspected to be carrying them. I have even heard they have purchased some of the new full-body xray scanners. Prepare to be violated. [/failed joke] But seriously, the University has said that purses and anything carried in will be searched. Noise makers that make it past security will be confiscated by stadium security upon use.

Ring those cowbells!

Chick-fil-A rules

We're big fans of Chick-fil-A. We love their food, and their cow-centric marketing campaigned is genius.

Yesterday, I was going to get Anastasia dinner there. On Tuesday nights, this particular location was offering a FREE Kid's Meal with the purchase of an adult meal. (It just happened to be Tuesday.) Well, of course I got me and Philip dinner, too.

Later, I was pondering on how often Chick-fil-A gives away their food - like Cow Day where you can show up dressed as a cow and get free chicken or this deal yesterday where we got a free Kid's Meal.

So, I went to their site just a moment ago to get an image to post here, and what do you know...they giving away FREE breakfast sandwhiches Sept 6-10! All you have to do is go to their website and make a reservation. They have had this promotion before and we took advantage of it then.

Yet another great marketing tool brought to you by Chick-fil-A.

Ice Ceam

No, I didn't leave out the "r" in cream. That's the way Anastasia says ice cream, so it's spelled correctly.

Tonight was Anastasia's first minor league baseball game. The Mississippi Braves were playing...well...I think it was Birmingham. I sat down all of 5 mins, but Anastasia had a blast. Our friend, Sandi, and Adeline and their friend showed us a great time! They knew the ropes. Anastasia jumped in the bouncy thing, ate a hot dog (after she had pulled it out of the bun), looked wide-eyedly around the store, walked around the entirety of the walk-way and played on the "Berg" (the grassy hill underneath the scoreboard).

We were going to get some ice cream at the park, but Philip and I decided Anastasia was quickly approaching melt down. So we promised her ice cream on the way home. On the walk out to the car and until we pulled into Baskin Robbins, Anastasia was talking about 'ice ceam.' Our favorite was , "I wanna eat ice ceam in my mouf [mouth]."

She handled the soft serve pretty well. I had braced myself for more ice cream on her than in her mouth. But the true test will be when I'm buckling her in her carseat again in several hours here...will the straps bear witness to the late night ice cream goodness?...i think it will be an affirmative.

Books are to be read according to their worth

I recently started reading God and Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC by Chad Gibbs. It addresses a topic I have often thought about since I became a (Christian) believer in 1998. I had long before been a believer in Mississippi State.

Since being converted, when I have the occasion to go to a Miss. State football game - rather, one we win decidedly - there is a sense of excitement and joy and community and blissfulness that is rarely matched. However, I know that sensation may seem like sadness compared to what believers will experience in glory. What I do get sad about in those victorious Bulldog moments is the likelihood that many people will not share the thrill of rejoicing with me when Jesus returns.

But getting to the title of this blog entry: Gibbs writes about a subject worthy of focus. His introduction is enough to make any SEC loving Christian wince in knowing laughter. Namely, that SEC football is much more attractive than loving Jesus. He describes this with a light-hearted and serious combination that makes it easier to swallow, but true nonetheless.

However, I find myself not being able to read large portions of his book at a time. When I told Philip that tonight, with shame in my heart because his writing style is not lofty or hard to read, he replied, "Books are to read according to their worth."

In essence, Philip was saying that even though Gibbs may have a worthy subject, his tone and attitude can be abrasive as well as humorous, sometimes at the expense of the church. In humor, he takes shots at specific denominations (50, 61, 72/3). Although he is attempting to get a laugh out of his audience, he does it at the expense of the church. He is undercutting the very God he is attempting to seek. Gibbs emphasizes the unity of the fans at the games he visits but fails to promote the same among God's children.

So while I appreciate his quest to find a balance between loving his Auburn Tigers and the Almighty God, there could be more thought put into the ink he spills about Jesus' bride, the church. I look forward to finishing the book...but at much slower a pace than I had anticipated.

A Modern Confession

Father, we confess that we are satiated and bored;
Creation has bored us.
Work has bored us.
Family has bored us.
Friends have bored us.
Our homes have bored us.
Television has bored us.
Redemption has bored us.
Truth has bored us.
You have bored us.
No generation in history has ever had so much to entertain it.
We are jaded and cynical.
We think the world is our servant, so we are not thankful when things go well for us, and we are not patient when they do not.
We believe every desire should be satisfied, so we are not delighted when they are, and we are not humbled when they are not.
We laugh, but do not know joy.
We are captivated , but we are never really awed.
We celebrate, but we do not worship.
We live, but not for you.
Have mercy on us, and forgive us.
Amaze us with grace - blood stained, incarnate, Messianic grace - the Glory of God in Christ.

Though you may not find the entirety of this confession to be true, at the very least a portion has been true of anyone residing in America.

This is a prayer that was printed in a Covenant Theological Seminary chapel service on February 23, 2007. The prayer was written by Rev. Michael Kelly, Green Lake PCA, Seattle, WA.